The King of Staten Island, the new comedy-drama movie starring Pete Davidson and directed by Judd Apatow, is now available to watch on VOD. Davidson (best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live) co-wrote the screenplay with Apatow, and has stated that much of the film’s content is autobiographical.
The film follows Scott (played by Davidson), a man who dreams of becoming a successful tattoo artist but who still lives with his mother and has, in some ways, never grown up. According to Apatow, the premise is “an imagining of what Pete’s life would have been if he didn’t find comedy.” The cast includes Marisa Tomei, Bill Burr, Maude Apatow and Steve Buscemi.
Davidson’s character also has a personal history very close to his own—and it goes beyond the fact that they both still live at home. In the film, Scott lost his dad, a firefighter, when he was young. Davidson’s father (also named Scott) was a New York City firefighter who died on 9/11. The King of Staten Island is Davidson’s exploration of how that grief affected him and his mother for years afterwards.
“I just always wanted to show where I’m coming from,” he told CBS News. “Pretty much like how a tragedy affects a family. And I think there hasn’t been many of those movies that are really honest and transparent… I made a tribute to my mom and dad. And I got to face these things I’ve been avoiding for a really long time head-on. And I couldn’t ask for anything more, really.”
Apatow first met Davidson when they were both working on the Amy Schumer comedy Trainwreck, in which Davidson had a small role. One of the film’s stars, Bill Hader, eventually recommended Davidson audition for Saturday Night Live, which ended up being a career-making gig for the young comedian.
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